A Guide for Travellers to Llandudno

Llandudno is a town in the county borough of Conwy in North Wales, and is one of the country's most popular holiday resorts. It is also one of the largest, reaching between the headlands of the Great Orme and Little Orme, with the Irish Sea one side and estuary of the River Conwy on the other. It is famed for its award winning North Shore and sand duned West Shore.

Known as the Queen of Resorts, Llandudno has retained much of its Victorian and Edwardian style, making it an attractive area to visit.

How to Get There

By Road: Llandudno is 3 miles off the A55 expressway. Follow signs for the M56 West towards Conwy, and exit the A55 onto the A470 at the sign posted Llandudno.

By Rail: The train station of Llandudno Junction is 3 miles outside the town centre; there is a regular service between this and the branch line station. First North Western provide regular direct services from Birmingham New Street, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly and other North Wales coast stations to connections at Llandudno Junction for the Conwy Valley line.Virgin Trains run daily between London Euston and Holyhead with connections at Crewe, stopping along North Wales' coast main stations.

By Coach: There are direct services from London's Victoria Coach station, Birmingham, Hull, Leeds ad Manchester.

By Air: Manchester International Airport is around 80 miles away, and Liverpool Airport is around 50 miles. Both have easy transport links to Llandudno.

By Sea: Regular services operated by Stena (which takes just 99 minutes) and Irish Ferries call at Holyhead from Dublin and Dun Laoghaire. The A55 expressway will improve road links from Holyhead.

What to See

In 1862 an enormous castle-like Lighthouse was built by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board to warn sailors of the perilous cliffs. The lantern is no longer lit, but The Lighthouse has now been turned into quality tourist accommodation.

Most of the main attractions can be found at the Great Orme: Llandudno's mountainous headland. It is made of carboniferous limestone that started to form around 300 million years previously, and as such fossils can be found all over.

The Great Orme Bronze Age Copper Mine is the only Bronze Age mine in Europe that can be accessed by the public. Opened in 1991, tourists can go underground into heightened galleries to observe archaeologists and view an audio-visual display.

Sloping up the side of the Great Orme, the Happy Valley Gardens have views over Llandudno pier and bay. Amongst the garden flowers and paths, there is a stone circle built especially for the Welsh festival of National Eisteddfod in the 1960s.

The Alice in Wonderland Centre is a good family exhibition where you walk through the rabbit hole and explore Alice's Wonderland listening to the stories and sound effects with the personal stereo provided.

The impressive Llandudno Pier was constructed in 1878 and now extends to more than 695 metres with gifts, amusements, a café and a bar. There are organised trips on a Steam Packet boat to the Isle of Man from the pier.

What to Do

At the 679 foot headland of the Great Orme, you will find that its country park has plenty to do. The Cable Car lift erected in 1969 runs from the Happy Valley Gardens to the top of the Great Orme. It is the longest cable car lift ride in Great Britain at 5,320 ft long with a journey time of 9 minutes each way. At the top, the Visitor Centre and Summit Complex display exhibitions about the area and have a bar and restaurant to refresh yourself after the ride. For an alternative journey to the summit, travel in an original early 20th century tram, making it the longest cable operated tramway in Britain.

On the lower slopes of the Great Orme near Happy Valley is a 300 metre dry ski slope and 700 metre toboggan run. Created in 1986, Ski Llandudno is ideal for the novice, whilst also playing host to the annual Artificial Ski Championships.

Bodafon Farm Park allows its visitors to bottle feed calves or help milk a cow. You can also get close to birds prey and foreign owl species involved in the owl breeding programme.

When to Go

May: The 3 day Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza and Festival of Transport has something to entertain all ages, seeing the arrival of a great Victorian steam fair in Mostyn Street with rides and booths both traditional and modern. Vintage vehicles from all eras are displayed at the Bodafon Farm Park not far from the fair.

July: The summer Llandudno Festival sees a variety of Welsh folk music performances alongside other music styles, as well as dance, poetry, and street entertainment. There is often a theme for the festival each year.

November: Running towards the end of November, the Celtic Winter Fayre sees a week of Celtic food and craft stalls with demonstrations of Celtic arts. There is also a variety of musical entertainment and entertainers for children. Competitions, food tastings and evening events take place throughout the week. A special ice rink is open, but while the rest of the fayre is generally free there is a fee for the ice rink.

What to do at Night

For a quiet evening drink, The Kings Head is an olde-worlde pub with décor and traditional drinks and ales to match. Based on Old Road, it is slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of town and so it is a good pub in which to relax. For a busier bar with drinks offers, The Palladium on Gladdaeth Road is part of the ubiquitous JD Wetherspoon's chain.

The Fat Cat café bar is popular at both day and night. On Mostyn Street in the centre if Llandudno, you can hear a variety of music played both live and playlist without being drowned out by it.

For a hard night's partying, try the Washington Nights club on the Promenade. Playing different genres throughout the week including commercial dance, RnB, 70s and indie, the club has its own wine bar with cocktails too. Every Thursday sees the gay night of Club Hellbent@The Washington. It has a strict door policy but a friendly atmosphere.

Broadway Boulevard is Llandudno's other main nightclub on Mostyn Broadway. It has a varied playlist most nights as well as a 70/80s themed night. It doesn't really get busy until Saturday however.

For music, plays, and performance, the North Wales Theatre on the Promenade has billed West End shows, the Welsh National Opera as well as children's theatre. You can book a meal at the theatre's Carvey Restaurant prior to your show, or drink in the numerous theatre bars.

Where to Eat

For a light daytime snack, the Old Rectory Tea Gardens are located on the way to St Tudno's Church on the Great Orme. The café is famed for its colourful and prize-winning flower beds.

On North Parade, the Terrace Restaurant presents a traditional taste both in décor and the food, and uses fresh local produce in its dishes. No 1s Bistro on Old Road specialises in seafood but offers a diverse range of dishes. Near to the beach and promenade on Church Walks, Richard's Bistro presents an inventive and varied menu, while the Casanova Restaurant on Chapel Street caters to appetites for Italian food.

Where to Shop

The Victoria Shopping Centre is the main shopping centre for North Wales. It is a single level centre covering around 100,000 square feet, and contains a large quantity of major retailers in clothing, gifts, and houseware.

For some of Llandudno's independent shops, you can find Fancy Dress Hire on Bodhyfryd Road, and second hand or out of print books at More Books on Mostyn Street. For Llandudno's only specialist in climbing and mountaineering goods, try Over The Top Mountain Sports.